Cotswolds Day Trip from London with Optional Village Lunch
Description
Escape London's crowds for a day trip to the picture-perfect Cotswolds for lunch. You'll visit a region that is forever England, seemingly unchanged by the modern world and famous for its beautiful villages and rolling hills. There will be time to visit quaint villages such as Burford before enjoying a fabulous two-course lunch in a traditional English hotel restaurant.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our full-day tour begins in the charming town of Burford, often called the ‘gateway to the Cotswolds’. Its beautiful high street is lined with buildings made from every shade of Cotswold stone. You'll have time to explore the local tea rooms, browse unique shops, and soak up the historic atmosphere.
Next, we visit Bibury – often called the 'Prettiest village in the Cotswolds', a title given by designer William Morris. Set along the clear waters of the River Coln, Bibury is full of postcard-perfect charm. We’ll enjoy a short walking tour through the village before arriving at the Swan Hotel, a lovely place to relax and take in the view.
Arlington Row is Bibury’s most famous and beloved spot, with its charming honey-colored cottages dating back to the 14th century. Once home to weavers, this iconic row is one of the most photographed places in the whole of Cotswolds.
We’ll enjoy a traditional lunch at the charming Swan Hotel, a historic Cotswold coaching inn once used to rest travelers and horses. Enjoy a delicious two-course meal, with a selection of local ales and fine wines available. (Lunch included if option selected.)
Our last stop is Stow-on-the-Wold, a historic market town perched high on a hill at 800 feet, where ancient trade routes once crossed. Today, its picturesque streets are lined with antique shops, independent boutiques, and cosy cafés. You’ll have free time to explore, do a bit of shopping, or relax with a cup of traditional English tea before we head back to London.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- If you choose the 'Tour Only' option, you'll have free time to buy food in Burford before heading to Bibury, where food options are limited. Lunch can be added as an upgrade on the day of travel, subject to availability.
- On rare occasions, the lunch venue or itinerary order may change for operational reasons.
- Children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(1,761)
Beautiful trip but felt little rushed and the guide's full of attitude behaviour affected the experience
The Cotswold is interesting, but a lot of it feels the same from location to location. It is basically a drop you off and explore on your own tour. Each town doesn’t seem to have much. What would be nice is if a map of must see places was provided for each area if they’re gonna have us explore on our own. The price is a bit high for an explore on your own tour. You get about 2 hours at Burford, 2 hours at Bibury (1 hour for lunch is part of these 2 hours) and then 1 hour at Stow-on-the-Wold which doesn’t allow you to go to far from the meeting point. For the guide they did reasonably well, but what might be good is to still allow people to explore, but also for those who want to be guided to have a guided tour of the highlights. The reason it gets boring is because you see similar buildings throughout each area with little differentiating factors as well as history. The guide did do a lot of explaining on the bus. The boredom for the tour may just be a result of the itinerary and how the tour was setup. Like I said a map of the highlights of each area would be a good addition to the tour or even include photo spots
We had a great time our driver Ricky was awesome. Our guide Peter was entertaining and very knowledgeable. We were given great information and options.
James Donnelly and driver Cristian made for a most enjoyable time. James is extremely knowledgeable on the areas visited and greatly prepared all to be able to get the best and most out of each stop on the day trip. He gave very interesting and extensive background each step of the way, pointing out numerous points of interest in London proper (before even arriving at our first destination) as well as all along the way. He peppered his comments with a brilliant sense of British wit and humor which entertained as he informed and interacted with all onboard. As time allowed (which we were always on time, without cramping any part of the experience) he also took extra care to show us all things in each area that were not a part of the “official” program of the tour. Like showing us the location where the king was married and explaining the back story to that event. Again, he gave extra tips on how to get the most from each stop along the way. Explaining what to be certain to experience, what to perhaps limit our time with so as to avoid wasting time and again some extra information, such as a quick and convenient way to grab a bathroom break or which areas were somewhat self explanatory so that not all the audio guides provided at locations might be selectively experienced. He was extremely knowledgeable, pointing out things along the intermediary route of interest again with explanations. Such as the round small stone structure along side the road in one village for those who had perhaps imbibed a bit too much and the creation of the expression “stone cold sober” It was also obvious James knew everyone along the way. When we arrived at the village for our pub lunch, he again took us on an “extra tour” of places where the Harry Potter films had been shot, culminating at our quaint old pub for a proper local lunch, where everyone from owner to wait staff were happy to see us, but also very comfortable with obvious friendships with James. Our driver Cristian was quite pleasant and professional as well, interacting with all at keen opportunities as well as being very helpful to those with extra needs. A brilliant driver, keeping us safe and on time each step of the way and interacting at times with his own tips and suggestions. Overall I felt it was money very well spent as you received a treasure trove of information above and beyond the advertised tour as well as tips on other locations of interest along the path within London to possibly explore during your travels. Finally both James and Cristian made certain each traveler knew the exact details of how to safely return from our final stop to one’s hotel or next desired destination. Just an enjoyable, brilliant duo who gave me a much fuller, enjoyable experience during each step of the trip. Can’t recommend more highly than these two men. Well done!
Really nice. Tom and driver George were great. The lunch venue was good. Enjoyed information about the locations and then free to explore on our own.
Three places are visited, which although they are very beautiful, the visit is so fast that you cannot appreciate much. You can't really see or explore anything, there isn't much to do. I regretted it, since the day I set aside for the Cotswolds, I could have spent it going somewhere else in England! I have no complaints about the guide and driver, they were very kind, especially the guide, a pleasant gentleman.
While our tour itself was pretty good, James was giving us a lot of good information about what we were seeing. Ricky did a fabulous driving job! I was set to give a great review. As we were returning to London, w we were reminded that we needed to give a 5 star review and there was a basket for their tip. Then they they dropped us, not at our starting point Victoria Coach Station, but a block away from Victoria Station. With very little direction as to where we were. As visitors, we have no frame of reference. Poor form.
James was our guide, and i loved his explanation with humor. The tour was good paced, no rush, no slow.
We both enjoyed our day with James our guide and excellent driving by Ricky on one of the hottest days so far. James was very knowledgeable and friendly and funny. Ricky was a happy friendly guy too. Would recommend this trip. We had a beautiful lunch at the Swan Hotel with plenty of time to walk about.
Im from Hong Kong, both James the guide and Ricky the driver are lovely! The ride was comfortable and everythings are perfect for me! Cotswold is so beautiful and calming. Lunch was good too! I would definitely recommend u to join this tour!
